Why did we seek Florida Main Street status?
Florida Main Street is a program of the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, which provides training and technical assistance to local organizations in support of their efforts to revitalize their traditional downtown commercial districts. The Main Street Approach focuses on:
Organization of businesses, groups and individuals to ensure that the program benefits from a community wide vision of the future
Promotion of the downtown area's unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, new businesses, tourists and others.
Design to enhance the downtown image by enhancing its physical appearance
Economic Restructuring to strengthen and diversify the existing economic base of downtown...helping business to expand, recruiting new businesses to provide a balanced mix, converting unused space into productive property and sharpening the competitiveness of downtown merchants.
High Springs' downtown area is already a friendly, charming and historically important place for citizens and visitors to gather, shop and do business. Participation in the Florida Main Street Program can help our community capitalize on these strengths to ensure that our downtown continues to be an important center of High Springs life.
What do we hope to accomplish through the Main Street Program?
The Main Street Approach is not a quick fix. It builds sustainable, positive change on incremental steps. Through maintaining a long-term focus on the Main Street Approach, we hope to achieve:
Greater economic stability and vitality
Rehabilitation and re-use of existing building stock, protecting historic resources and encouraging infill development to counteract sprawl
Reduced vacancy, increasing property values and property tax revenues
Restoration of downtown as a center of commerce, increasing sales tax revenues
Greater quality of life and civic pride
Enhancing downtown as a center of civic and cultural activities
Enhancing downtown as a symbol of community identity and pride
Since 1985, the Florida Main Street Program has assisted downtown revitalization efforts in over 80 communities across the state.
What can we expect long term from the implementation of the Florida Main Street Program?
From data gathered from 1980 to 2001, the Main Street Four-Point approach has been active in more than 1,650 communities nationwide and has produced more than $16.1 billion dollars in physical improvements, 56,300 in net new businesses, and 226,900 net new jobs. Because High Springs is poised in such a favorable position to apply for this designation, it is expected to have a very positive impact upon our community given the program's excellent track record.
What are the project's first year goals?
Program managers from the Florida Main Street Program office in Tallahassee advise communities seeking Main Street status to spend the first year of the program planning, assessing community strengths and needs, and building community consensus on a vision for the downtown area. In later years, revitalization projects and promotion of downtown events can be included in the strategies developed during this initial planning period.
Since our application to the Florida Main Street Program has been successful, our goals for the first year of the program will include:
Hiring and training a full-time Main Street Program Manager (required by the state program office)
Establishing a High Springs Main Street Program office
Conducting a community assessment and marketing study of the downtown High Springs area
Establishing committees and work plans to guide the development of the program
Recruiting a committed network of community leaders and volunteers
Developing a strategic plan for future program accomplishments
Developing a mini grant program for faηade renovations
Developing a newsletter for community and media relations that will also be a vehicle for recognizing contributors to the Main Street Program
How will the project be structured and administered?
The Florida Main Street Program requires that the program applicant be a local incorporated nonprofit organization, a community redevelopment agency, a downtown development authority or the governing body of local government.
High Springs Community Development Corporation (formerly High Springs Youth Services, Inc.) has volunteered to be the applicant organization on behalf of High Springs. HSCDC has a proven five-year track record of successfully acquiring grant funding from government and private sources, and of responsibly and effectively administering programs. HSCDC has updated its mission to address issues of economic development and community social needs. With existing federally tax-exempt status and an effective board structure, HSCDC is an excellent choice to serve as High Springs' Main Street applicant organization.
Where does the funding come from?
The High Springs Community Redevelopment Agency will provide a large portion of the High Springs Main Street Project's funding, but the state program requires a significant investment by private sources.
To get involved in the High Springs Main Street Project, call or email Kirk Eppenstein at (386)454-2206 or Jeannette Peters at (386)454-7033.
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